15 Midwest Lake Getaway Homes

Budget-savvy dream cottage

When Midwest Living's former home editor retired and built a barn-inspired home in Wisconsin's Door County, she used all the tricks she had learned on the job to create low-cost high style in her home.

Lake house spirit

Sparkling water, sunshine and kids splashing set the tone for the Michigan home of Kelly and Dan Rinzema and their two children. Kelly, who spent every summer vacationing nearby as a child, uses DIY, flea-market finds and water-inspired colors to pull the lake spirit indoors. “With how fast-paced and busy today’s world is, it’s nice that we have our own little place where we can slow things down a bit,” Kelly says.

Instant classic

This cheerful green cottage high on a Wisconsin bluff overlooking Green Bay was built in 2005—but looks much like one that the owner's grandparents once lived in nearby. The homeowners looked to the 1920s to give their new lake home vintage charm.

Reinventing history

Modern ranch getaway

This Door County vacation home used to be a one-story, 2,000-square-foot art gallery. The wide-open feeling of the gallery inspired new owners to head straight into the 21st century with a renovation that's light, open and minimal.